Monday, 14 August 2017

Relax in Bath

Bath is one place that's relatively nearby and one I'd always wanted to go to, but just hadn't made it yet. Well that was true until last week when we ventured there for a cheeky 2 nights away. As we weren't going to be there long, we packed in as much as possible - so as usual for me it wasn't actually a relaxing break. I've come to realise over the years that I crave the time to relax but when I actually get to do it, I end up getting bored quite quickly and longing for something to do. Typical!

We chose to stay at the Oakhill Inn in Radstock which is around a 15/20 minute drive from Bath. And offers a great alternative to staying in the city itself. Plus if you're travelling on a budget, you're not paying the city prices too! If I could sum up Oakhill Inn in 3 words, I would say quaint, friendly and comfy! The room was an adequate size and quite quirky but reasonable for what we paid. But the food was amazing. We had breakfasts both days and tried the evening menu on our last night. Safe to say we didn't finish our dishes as the portions were huge!

Oakhill Inn, Radstock

Typically being British Summer Time, we had a mix of weather whilst we were there. Sadly, it was mainly overcast but I still think Bath looks beautiful even without a filter. What do you think?

So Bath has loads on offer. But we chose to mainly think about our bellies (surprise surprise!). The Pump Room was of course on my list for (shock horror!) Afternoon Tea. Whilst I chomped on sandwiches, cakes and some delicious plain scones, we had a lovely live band playing music. This really set the tone for the tea and adding that little extra to the experience.

We then headed to Bath Racecourse to have a flutter and although we didn't win a thing, the sun managed to make an appearance which went down nicely with the Pimms!And to finish off the whole getaway, I finally got round to using my 30th birthday present of a trip to Britain's original thermal spa - Thermae Bath Spa. We couldn't quite stretch the budget to treatments, but we made our way around the newly opened Wellness Suite where we experienced a lot of heat with the steam and sauna rooms and then ventured to what felt like Antarctica with the ice room. Luckily I read the sign about not throwing ice before the boyfriend got a face full! To top it off, we headed to the top floor to relax in the breathtaking open-air rooftop pool. Spending time just floating around the pool was just what we needed after a hectic couple of days. Word of warning, the pool is deliciously warm, however when you get out - the air is cold! You'll get a small workout just running for your robe to warm up!So can Bath be visited on a budget? It can indeed! You just need to be savvy about where you stay and what you decide to do. If you want to follow our suit, we booked everything in advance so we paid bits off here and there. So we even had enough to enjoy a cocktail or two!

Do you have any recommendations for where we should try next? Leave a comment below with your suggestions - I'd love to hear them!